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Bruce Arians Speaks

Q: How concerned are you by the offense’s inability to score touchdowns in recent weeks?

A: “It’s going to work itself out. We’ve just got to make some plays. The two areas that have been poor are our running game, and our first and 10 passing has not been very good. Probably a little bit my fault going for the end zone too much instead of going for a couple of short ones but it always works itself out.”

Q: Do you steer clear of throwing at a cornerback at good as Darrelle Revis or do you have to avoid having that kind of mindset?

A: “You read your reads and the coverage dictates where you’re going to throw. When you start throwing away from people you start throwing into coverage. Guys have got to beat him and you’ve got to throw it and catch it. He is a heck of a player as is Antonio (Cromartie) but you can’t dodge players whether it was Deion Sanders or whoever it was in the past.”

Q: How tall of a task will it be for the offensive line to keep quarterback Ben Roethlisberger upright against the Jets?

A: “(Jets head coach) Rex (Ryan) has always had a fantastic blitx package. It’s very similar to the Steelers in that they have a lot of confusion before the snap. Add a little confusion to a very good pass rush and your offensive line’s got their hands full. Same thing when James Harrison and (LaMarr) Woodley are running around. You’re not thinking about your set, you’re thinking about who the heck you’ve got.”

Q: How impressed were you with Jets center Nick Mangold when he was coming out of college?

A: “I thought he was going to be a good player. I wouldn’t trade (Maurkice) Pouncey for him.”

Q: How much of a concern are the holding penalties that have been called against the Steelers, and how do you rectify that problem?

A: “You can call (holding) on every play if you want to. We’ve bounced outside and made some long runs, and their judgment was we restricted a guy. Our judgment was we let go. You can’t win so you’ve got to keep your hands in and you’ve got to do a better job of getting the body in position. Most of our holding penalties have occurred on the inside running play that has bounced outside. If a guy’s got inside out position he has to feel the defender and let him go because Rashard (Mendenhall) will outrun him. It’s better technique and knowing when to let go.”

I was just thinking the same thing, why we would expect anything else I have no idea.

Q: How concerned are you by the offense’s inability to score touchdowns in recent weeks?

A: “It’s going to work itself out

And that my friends is the problem, it doesn't just work itself out. You have to actively try and fix it. When you do the same old stuff week in and week out, and you are so predictable a blind/deaf/mute could figure out your playbook, something is wrong. Just for once, actually gameplan towards a teams weaknesses and expose them. Every team in the league has a weakness on their defense somewhere. Teams like the Patriots go after that weakness and take advantage. We on the other hand just "do our thing" because that's what we do.

I understand the offensive line is a musical chairs ensemble on any given week and that hinders what you can do simply because of protection. However, there are ways around it and we haven't seen much of that this year at all.

I actually agree with everything BA says except for its going to work itself out and we have to make plays. It is impossible to make plays when you have 3 lineman in your backfield a second after the snap. Most plays take at least a couple of seconds to develop and even Ben cannot make magic happen on every down. Our running game really has me concerned at this point and I do not see it improving unless Flozell is healthy and at least one more Olineman steps up (besides Pouncey).

Just a thought, what about a fullback to help block? We do not need 4 wrs, we already have Wallace as our deep threat. Hines as our slot guy and Brown/Sanders to do either.

If we could protect Ben and get any type of push from the line on running plays then the Steelers would be one of the top 3 teams in the NFL easily. Without it we are dead meat in the playoffs.

I actually agree with everything BA says except for its going to work itself out and we have to make plays. It is impossible to make plays when you have 3 lineman in your backfield a second after the snap. Most plays take at least a couple of seconds to develop and even Ben cannot make magic happen on every down. Our running game really has me concerned at this point and I do not see it improving unless Flozell is healthy and at least one more Olineman steps up (besides Pouncey).

Just a thought, what about a fullback to help block? We do not need 4 wrs, we already have Wallace as our deep threat. Hines as our slot guy and Brown/Sanders to do either.

If we could protect Ben and get any type of push from the line on running plays then the Steelers would be one of the top 3 teams in the NFL easily. Without it we are dead meat in the playoffs.

Arians offense doesn't use a FB. Trust me, we've all been screaming for it for years but he won't do it. Just like he won't use Heath in a more active role. We've got an epic weapon that maybe gets 2-3 touches per game if we're lucky.

this is from bleacher report but was a good bookend for the arians q&a

Pittsburgh Steelers Offense, Arians the Great and How To Score Touchdowns
By Joseph Sirimarco (Contributor) on December 17, 2010 858

Someone call Emeril Lagasse. The Steelers offense really needs his help, because right now that offense can't beat eggs.

How bad is it?

A 44 percent red-zone conversion rate, good (or should I say, bad) for 27th in the NFL. Two touchdowns in their last 30 offensive possessions. One touchdown in their last eleven quarters.

So bad that Bruce Arians had to have a meeting with Ben Roethlisberger this week to discuss the red-zone problems and ways to score touchdowns. So Arians has to ask Ben how to score touchdowns? Hmmm, what's wrong with that picture? Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

Among the notable quotes from Arians the Great in discussing the subject with the media this week:

"Our first and 10 passing has not been very good. It's probably a little bit of my fault going for the end zone too much instead of going for a couple short ones."

First and 10 passing? What first and 10 passing? Arians must be slamming back shots of tequila before his offense gets to the red zone. That's the only thing I can think of that would cause him to confuse up the middle line plunges on first and second down with "first and 10 passing".

And then there's this one:

"We're averaging about 1.5 yards a carry from the 20 down. Actually, in our goal-line offense, we've been very, very good; it's just we don't get in there often."

The goal-line offense has been very, very good?!? Oh, so that would explain why the offense had first and goal at the Baltimore two yard line and ended up kicking a field goal. Or had first and goal at the Cincinnati five yard line and ended up kicking a field goal. Or had first and 10 at the Cincinnati 15-yard line and ended up kicking a field goal after moving the ball BACKWARDS.

And 1.5 yards per carry? Gee, do you think that cramming the entire offense in a box with no space for a running back to run has anything to do with it? And don't even get me started on wide-receiver screens from the four yard line, with no blocking.

Very, very good? Arians must have lost a few key brain cells somewhere along the way.

And then my personal favorite, with Arians commenting on Rashard Mendenhall's red-zone performance:

"It's not him. We have to block better. It's normal this time of the year. About everything you do is on tape; you're not going to surprise anybody with very many new things. You got to block 'em and make people miss."

Not going to surprise anybody with new things? I suppose that Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning have been so successful because their opponents know exactly what plays they're going to run, and they never try to surprise them.

And when does Arians ever try anything new? I guess that "new" to Arians means having Isaac Redman run up the middle on first and second down, rather than Mendenhall.

Does Bruce Almighty really believe what he is saying? Or even know what he is saying? If so, as one rather famous animated hare might say,'What a maroon!'

I guess, though, lunacy notwithstanding, it's a good thing that Arians is a football coach. If Arians were a chef, Heinz Field would be Hell's Kitchen.